Pakistan and India once again seem to be edging closer to war over Kashmir, a region divided between the two countries but fully claimed by both. On Friday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan warned that his country will give a “befitting response” in case of an Indian attack on Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, adding that Pakistan’s “armed forces are ready.” Khan also said that a conflict between the two nuclear powers would affect the entire world.
In the beginning of August, the Indian government stripped Kashmir of its autonomous status and revoked a ban on property purchases by non-residents, causing tensions in the disputed region to escalate for the second time in a year. In February of this year, India and Pakistan exchanged airstrikes as the result of a crisis over Kashmir.
Khan said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a “fascist” and expressed concern over a “genocide of Muslims in Kashmir.” A day earlier, Pakistan carried out a test launch of a missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Read more: Prime minister says Pakistan will respond if India attacks